The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Tuesday said Channels
Television has apologised over its infraction of the broadcasting code.
NBC’s Director of Public Affairs, Mrs Franca Aiyetan, said this in an
interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Abuja.
Aiyetan explained that the commission’s letter to the TV station was a
regulatory instrument to check the excesses of the station called “the
bridge letter “.
She said that the intent of the letter was neither to close down nor
sanction the station, rather it was meant to draw the station’s
attention to its breach of the broadcasting code, adding that “the
station has accordingly apologised’’.
According to her, the letter is asking Channels TV to explain why it
gave credence to an organisation that was already proscribed by the
Federal Government.
“It was actually not for public consumption, it was not a press release.
It was a regulatory instrument to check the excesses of the station.
“It is a station that won an award but we say in this particular
situation, you did not handle it professionally.
“It is possible to bridge the public peace and that was what the letter
conveyed to Channels TV, to which the TV station has responded, saying
we apologise, we did wrong.
“When the media started asking me about Channels TV, I had to go and
find out what letter we had issued out because if it is a press release
or something that is for public consumption it will come to the Public
Affairs Department of NBC.
“And I will be able to communicate to the media about it but this letter
that went to Channels TV is our way of regulating the broadcasting
industry.
“It is called a bridge letter to the station to say in this particular
programme you did not act professionally; you did not do it in line with
the provision of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.”
The director further explained that the particular programme in
reference was an interview of somebody who was representing an
organisation that was already proscribed by the Federal Government.
She said that in the exercise of its power as the regulatory body, NBC
wrote a letter asking Channels TV to explain why it gave credence to the
spokesman of the proscribed organisation.
“The spokesman made lots of allusion that were not true, that are
inciting and inimical to the peace of the society that could cause
unrest.
“The NBC now said because of that this bridge attracts a shut down or a
fine of N5 million; but the pay line was that they were advised to
discontinue the programme.
“Because when a station interviews live, the keep repeating it for maybe
24 hours before that kind of news will be dropped.
“And when I followed up on Monday April 26, I discovered that the
monitoring department that had written the letter had also received an
apology letter from the Channels TV to say okay, we have received your
letter and see where we went wrong, we are sorry.
“So it is now left for NBC to say this station has responded or reacted
this way. The letter was neither meant to shut down the station nor
sanction it. Rather, it is drawing their attention to what they have
done.”
Aiyetan said that the station was also free to write NBC back to say “we
stand on what we have done because in our own professional analysis of
what we have done we think we are right.’’
“May be NBC misinterpreted our intention. And when we have a situation
like that, we invite the station to sit down on dialogue table and
understand where they are coming from.
“And then we will also explain to say this is what you intend to do but
for those receiving the signals, this is what it connotes, this is what
the gravity of what you have done to the country.”
According to her, when a particular programme in a bid to pursue a
particular trending issue begins to threaten the security and peace of
the nation, then you check yourself.
“Because broadcasting is not self-serving; it is for the society. So
everything you do must be to the common good of the people and it must
also hold the people accountable.” (NAN)